This invention relates to athletic shoes, and more particularly to cleated athletic shoes such as are used by football players.
In football, the knee has been highly susceptible to injury, particularly injury to the medial colateral ligaments and the medial meniscus to which they partially attach. It is believed that this type of injury is especially apt to occur upon a blow on the knee from the outside of the knee when the knee is locked in a substantially straight position, or when the heel cleats of the shoe are driven down into the ground by the player when, in running, he changes speed or direction. With the heel cleats locked into the ground, rotation in the hip joint is blocked, and any blow to the lateral aspect of the knee is dangerous to the medial ligaments and cartilage.
Shoes with various cleat patterns claimed to decrease the danger of damage to the knee have been in use, but it is believed that statistics re knee injuries to football players have not shown any superiority of such patterns, or one over another.